Infinite
Infinite (インフィニット Infinitto?), formerly known as the "ultimate mercenary" (究極傭兵 Kyūkyoku Yōhei?), is the secondary antagonist in Sonic Forces. He is an anthropomorphic jackal, and the former captain of the Jackal Squad mercenary group. During a raid, Infinite was hired by Dr. Eggman to become the leader of the Eggman Army, only for him and his squad to fall at the hands of Shadow the Hedgehog while protecting one of Eggman's facilities. Ashamed of his loss, Infinite decided to obtain the power of the Phantom Ruby not only as a means of becoming stronger, but also to abandon his "weak" past self. With his newfound power, Infinite aided Eggman by helping him expand the Eggman Empire to its largest size to date after defeating Sonic the Hedgehog. Near the end of the warwith the Resistance though, Infinite would engage Sonic and the Avatar on multiple occasions until he was defeated during the decisive battle for the planet. Role in the series Personality Before fusing with the Phantom Ruby prototype, Infinite was a violent, ruthless and vicious gun-for-hire whose main interest as a mercenary was to earn bounties. Openly encouraging his subordinates to go for the kill, he had no qualms about taking a life. Beneath this facade however, he harbored darker desires for anarchy: when he struck the Phantom Ruby, it caused it to reveal his deepest desires in the form of a desolate, war-torn world. Implied to greatly dislike stagnation and the current world, he admittedly joined the Eggman Empire because he had grown tired and bored of the world, and desired to change it, evidently for the worse, just to provide some amusement.6 Even before acquiring the Phantom Ruby prototype, Infinite was an arrogant individual. He took pride in his title as the "ultimate mercenary" and believed himself to be a powerful foe, seeing as he denied being weak after getting trashed by Shadow the Hedgehog. He was evidently also nearly fearless; before his encounter with Shadow, he had apparently never experienced fear himself.10 Even when being on the receiving end of Dr. Eggman's fury, he found the doctor to be little more than an annoyance.22 It was first after standing face-to-face with Shadow, a being who was able to trump his speed and strength, that Infinite found himself so shocked that he was trembling in fear.10 Prior to becoming Infinite, he also had at least some degree of care for his subordinates in the Jackal Squad, as he angrily confronted Shadow over the destruction of the Jackal Squad before fighting him.7 Prior to gaining the prototype, Infinite was also very loud, boisterous and rough, and used very gruff and informal speech owing to his mercenary background.62 After casting his old self aside, Infinite picked up a persona that greatly amplified his dark traits, becoming a much darker and more lethal figure as a result. He also gained a far colder, subdued, menacing, and outwardly composed demeanor, with his speech being more eloquent, formal, and theatrical. After obtaining unrivaled power in the form of the Phantom Ruby prototype as well, Infinite believed himself to be unbeatable, causing his confidence and arrogance to grow to astronomical heights. Though his confidence was not without validity, his hubris proved to be so great that he would at times leave his enemies behind rather than kill then, believing fully that they were no threat to him. He would also often express a strong sense of superiority when speaking, all while showing no respect for others than himself, although people like Shadow would note that he had a "big mouth". Even in battle, Infinite would remain extremely collected, aloof and confident with a cynical, nonchalant demeanor; when he faced Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time, he barely spared his enemy a thought even as they engaged in direct combat.23 Fittingly, Infinite would also mock those who found strength in others. He is, however, able to acknowledge attributes to his opponents he deemed commendable, as he acknowledged before attacking Omega that the latter was "spirited"15 and during his rematch with Sonic, he begrudgingly acknowledged that Sonic had improved since their last time. Following his change of identity, Infinite became endlessly cruel and extremely sadistic. He took great pleasure in causing pain and torment for others. He also relished in how the world's population was afraid of him and had a twisted need to see others fear him, expressing that feeling like fear, anxiety and doubt were "delicious" to him. He even willingly let the Avatar run unharmed from their battle, just so he could relish in their terrified screams.24 He also proved to have a dry, yet dark sense of humor. Unlike Dr. Eggman, who would reveal his plans and motives while gloating to his enemies, Infinite chose never to reveal anything vital about himself when confronting his enemies, making him mysterious and enigmatic; when Sonic tried getting information about his power from him in Mystic Jungle, Infinite ignored all of Sonic's attempts to provoke a response from him and instead tried to eliminate him. After gaining the Phantom Ruby's power, Infinite grew very unconcerned with opposition, seeing military organizations like the Resistance as little more than "rabble" or insects to be crush by him. On some level however, Infinite desired a challenge, as he would wonder if the world had any real challenges left for him after crushing Operation Big Wave. Regardless, Infinite desired above all else to make sure everyone yielded to him, as he noted that "all will submit" when plotting to help Eggman dominate the world. To this end, he was willing to burn the whole world to the ground with his power. Infinite's most notable character trait, however, was his inferiority complex, especially regarding any perceived weakness he might have. This was most especially apparent when he fought Shadow and was easily beaten by him. After Shadow bluntly told him he was worthless and told him to not show his "pathetic face" to him ever again, Infinite proceeded to rage about how he was not weak10 before ultimately subjecting himself to being fused with the Phantom Ruby prototype, and completely discarding any trace of his old identity, to the point where he refused to show his own face. Indeed, when reencountering Shadow after the procedure, he acknowledged from Shadow's lack of memory of him that this meant his old self had been "too pathetic to remember." Other indications of this trait were shown where he expressed disgust at Eggman calling a retreat, viewing it as a tacit admission to weakness. Even after his defeat, Infinite tries to insist that he can fight on, even as he is pulled from the battlefield. This inferiority complex is implied to have developed into a mad obsession with strength. When Shadow runs through a Phantom Ruby-made Green Hill, Infinite's thoughts are echoed through a false Omega, constantly repeating that he was not weak, almost like a paranoid reassurance, showing Infinite as a perhaps insecure individual. Owing to his obsession with strength, Infinite also demonstrated a Darwinian view of life, which is especially evident with his fight against the Avatar at Metropolis, where he declared that the weak ultimately exist solely to be vanquished by the strong, and later his admission that he underestimated how desperately the feeble will cling to life when the Avatar managed to hold their own against him. Oddly, despite valuing the Jackal Squad enough to attempt to attack Shadow as revenge for the latter wiping the unit out,7 he indicated during his final battle with both Sonic and the Avatar that friendships are a "fleeting illusion", and that one can only rely with certainty on themselves.25 Whether this implied that he blamed his valuing the Jackal Squad for losing to Shadow is unclear. In addition, both Sonic and Amy noted that Infinite's existence was ultimately sad and lonely.2526 Relationships Shadow Moon Scarlett Red/Clarrisa Sonja Farrington Elvira Category:Villains Category:Males Category:Characters